The Music of Angels
by MistressVanTassel
Summary: She's still pining after Marius, but now he's there and he's so handsome. He's still searching for a new world but she's appeared in his life and he can't ignore the pull. Hearts will clash, worlds will collide. Who is left standing, and who will fall at the barricade?
1. Chapter 1

My Story

She raced through the streets, her bare feet splashing in the rain puddles that dotted the dirty cobbles until she caught sight of the cafe Musin, lit up with jovial sounds erupting from it, contrasting with the otherwise silent street. As she made her way toward it she noticed a beggar man sitting on the kerb. He did not bother to raise his cupped hands to her as he knew she was as penniless as he. "We are untied in our hopeless cause, my friend." She said in her head as she passed him and reached the doors of the cafe.

Eponine waded through the throng of loud voices and joyful laughter to where he stood. It made her stomach tingle to think he was waiting for her. "Marius!" she called to where the curly haired figure stood. His head snapped around toward her and she jumped slightly.

"Do you have any news? About My Cosette!" he asked hurriedly.

Her smile faltered a little at his harsh greeting. "I...um, I found her house. She lives on Rue Plumet, the posh street down by the bridge. She lives with her father, I think, in a big old house with iron gates."

A glassy look had entered Marius' eyes and she told him about the beautiful girl he had seen only days ago from across the street. It was just one glance, but it was enough.

"Can you take me to her, 'Ponine? To her house?" He asked the young gamine.

She loved the way her name sounded from his mouth. "Well..." she said before she heard a name called.

"Marius! We are about to begin the meeting, may I have your attention?" The young man said as he approached. He was tall and statuesque with a chiselled face and straw coloured hair.

"Excusez-moi, Enjolras." Marius turned away from Eponine to give his full attention to the man before him.

Eponine sighed at the loss of conversation with the boy and Enjolras saw her shoulders visibly droop.

"Mademoiselle, would you like to step out of this room, just while we students discuss revolution?" he asked turning to the girl.

"No thank you monsieur, I enjoy listening to talk of a better time for people like me." She said adamantly, folding her arms across her chest as she spoke.

"As you wish, mademoiselle." He said turning toward the group still seated in the cafe. Addressing the whole room, he said "we have much to discuss."

Eponine was staring intently at her beloved, trying to imagine what it would be like to be seen walking the streets on his arm, but she felt her concentration waver.

The pretty words that came from the student's young leader were catching her attention. Words like 'future', 'revolution' and most promising of all, 'equality'. Eponine was not perfectly educated and some of the words that were said, she could not understand but the few she did made her tear her gaze away from Marius, toward the angel faced revolutionary.

"These people have nothing. No money, no food, no home but most of all, no help, until now. The people who have lived in starvation and poverty for hundreds of years will join us against the common enemy, the foolish and useless monarchy. We will strike them when the fire of rebellion is ablaze in their hearts! We must choose the right moment to strike! Deliver the fatal blow!"

Hearty cheers erupted from the men in the cafe as they raised their glasses in the air to show their support to Enjolras' words.

When Enjolras' speech had finished and the people were dispersing from the cafe, Eponine approached Enjolras.

"You say very pretty words, monsieur. It catches the ears of girls like me. But how will you know when is the right time. How do you know if the people will rise?" she asked him, her eyes wide and questioning.

Enjolras turned his attention to the small girl in front of him, a little surprised at her sudden appearance as he had spoken to her but once and had no name to call her. "Uh...well, the people will rise to fight against the oppressors, they will fight for their freedom and we when know when the time is right because...well...we just will, mademoiselle." he finished. It was not the best answer he could have given but he was a little confused about the girl's interest in politics and was even more surprised she could withdraw her attention from Pontmercy to listen to what he was preaching.

"Eponine." She whispered quietly before turning in the direction of the boy who had just called out the name she had a second ago given to another.

" 'Ponine, will you take me to her now?" Marius asked, eagerly clutching on to Eponine's arms.

She revelled in the contact and slowly nodded her head before turning to Enjolras. "Au revoir monsieur, it was nice speaking to you." She said as Marius practically dragged her toward the door.

"Au revoir, mademoiselle Eponine." Enjolras said quietly to the closed door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, Mes Amis! Thank you so much for your responses to the first chapter! The reviews were great! A big thank you to **_**SunWillRise2340, Warblette **_**and **_**Yourbestfriend. **_**I enjoyed reading your reviews and I am happy for the support my readers have given me.**

**I own 21 Doctor Who DVDs, 5 Disney films, a remote control helicopter and a hole puncher that hole punches hearts in paper, but sadly I do not own Les Misérables or any of the characters in it (as much as I would like to own Enjolras and Javert). **

"In my life, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun!" he skipped around joyfully like a child, as she watched him, wearing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Eponine," he said clutching at her bony arms "you're the friend who has brought me here. Thanks to you, I am one with the Gods in heaven above!"

"It's no problem, Marius." _**I'd do anything for you. **_Her heart sank as they neared the 'blonde angel's' house.

"Will it be long now? I can't go any more without out her, 'Ponine!" He said exasperatedly.

As much as she loved to hear his voice, she wished at this moment he would cease his worship of Cosette. The girl she had tormented when she was younger, the girl who always seemed lonely and sad even when the inn was full of people.

"It is just around the corner, see?" as they reached the bend she pointed out the large house with twisted metal gates in the style of ivy.

"Oh, 'Ponine..." he said softly, gazing at the blonde figure sitting alone in the garden. Eponine backed herself up until she reached a column outside the house and darted behind it and watched as her one true love spoke words of love and light through the bars to the blonde beauty watching him. As she approached the gate, Cosette joined in with her own confessions of feeling towards him. They reached between the bars and grasped each other's hands.

Eponine slid down the wall and sank to her knees in agonising heartbreak. Silent tears streamed down her face. She sat there wide eyed a hopeless.

Eponine felt in that moment that what was flowing through her veins was no longer blood. Blood was red, red for passion and love. She realised, as she watched the beautiful couple profess their love to each other that what her broken heart now pumped through her body had turned black, black for despair.

**Short chapter, I know but I thought what was included was powerful enough for just one instalment.**

**Don't stay silent. I'd love to hear from you. **

**MistressVanTassel.**


	3. Chapter 3

Through her despair, Eponine heard a harsh cackle from a distance down the street. She shot up quickly from where she had been crouching on the cobbles. She silently made her way to the corner and peered around the bend. She saw the gnarled faces of her father and his gang as they made their way up the street towards Cosette's house. Eponine sprinted back to the gates and called out to Marius.

"Monsieur! A gang of thieves are approaching the house! You must leave this place!" She said, wiping away her tears then desperately tugging on Marius' sleeve.

He jerked his head toward Cosette but she was running toward the front door. Eponine pushed Marius away from the house and told him to return home right away and then ran to meet her father in front of the gates.

"Eponine what are you doing here? We don't need you on this job, we're enough here without you!" her father's snarled.

"I don't know, Thénardier, she could make a pleasant addition to our night." Montparnasse grinned and slid an arm around Eponine's tiny waist.

_**A raid?! No! Not here! **_"Let go, 'Parnasse!" She pulled herself out of his grasp. "I know this place, I tell you! There's nothing here for you! Just the girl and her father! They have nothing of value! I swear!"

"Stay out of this, 'Ponine, you've got a lot to say!" Thénardier grabbed her wrist.

"Leave now or I'll scream, mon père, I will!"

"One sound out of you and you'll wish you were never born!"

Eponine opened her mouth and screeched as loud as she could. It could be heard for ten streets down. Jean Valjean jumped up from his prayer position and ran to Cosette's room to check on his daughter's safety.

Back in the street, Eponine's screams were cut off by a hard slap across her left cheek that sent her crashing to the ground.

"You will rue this night, my girl, I will make you scream until you have no screams left in you." He gave her a kick in the stomach before running after the rest of his gang to safety from the law.

Eponine pulled herself up from the cold street, clutching at her stomach and cheek and began trudging in the opposite direction to her father's house.

Her mind was in turmoil. Should she return to her father's house to take the punishment she was sure to receive and get it over with before his anger intensified? Or does she stay away from the house and let his temper cool before she showed up.

She remembered the time she refused to whore herself out during the last winter. Because there are fewer people in the streets, the takings per week are much less and her father would always push her into prostitution. Last year she refused because all she could think of was monsieur Marius. Even after one of the worst beatings of her life she couldn't bring herself to regret her defiance. Even though he would never notice, he came priority over everything, even her own survival.

Although Marius was blind of the affection Eponine held for him, she ate up every ounce of friendship he threw her way, having known her for many years now, since she moved to the city after her parents lost the inn. Whilst he was in the street preaching about the new world with the rest of the students, she stopped him and nervously asked him more about the cause. What threw her and delighted her was that he told his group to go on without him and stayed to explain their whole movement to her. When he was gone she took it upon herself to find out where they would meet. She would hang around the cafe for hours waiting and watching. Weeks passed and he would often nod to her. Months passed and he would stop and talked to her for a few minutes before the meetings. Years passed and he was taking her in with him.

Eponine decided to stay away from her house for a while, maybe a few days, just so she could heal her broken heart without having to heal broken bones at the same time. She knew where she would go. There was only one place she _could _go. With one last glance at the moon, she set off through the streets toward the cafe Musin.


	4. Chapter 4

**My absolute apologies that I forgot to put an author's note on my last chapter. I was just so eager to upload it. The responses I am getting are like jet packs! Zoom, zoom, shoom, zip, zoom, swirl, spiral, rocket...I think we are getting off topic here. Anyway, this chapter will be narrated by the lovely Enjolras and...I hope you enjoy our literary ride together!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own les mis but I have seen some rather fetching Samantha barks and Aaron Tveit life sized models...I'll have to look into that...**

He was staying late, of course he was. He always stays late. If he didn't, nothing would get done. There are so many distractions for the other men; Girls, drink, wealth, family, things that Enjolras had built himself up to be immune to. He made sure he avoided these distractions by filling his head up with thoughts of freedom and liberty. Thoughts like these caused tension between him and his bourgeois family, who believed that people below them should stay that way. They tried to ignore their son's studies of equality and speech performances, but they could not ignore his passion of the subject forever. They were finally free of the shame when their son left to join university and when people asked him what he was doing there, they would tell them that Enjolras was studying history. Not law. He did not mind at all never having to see his family, anyway, his Amis were his true brothers...well, most of them.

He was currently looking through maps of Paris, searching for potential spots to campaign. The cafe was deserted. The owner trusted Enjolras to stay there alone after all the bartenders have left and lock the door behind him before he eventually set off home. Enjolras was a regular in the cafe and he had gained the respect of the owners and the workers after being a loyal customer for years, he also brought many other drink-buying friends with him that made great business.

There was a fire still flickering weakly, under the mantle in the middle of the room for warmth and he used a single candle for illumination whilst he worked. After long nights of writing and planning in the cafe, his eyes had adjusted to the poor light.

His head shot up from scanning the map in front of him as he heard the sound of the downstairs door being pushed open. He knew he could apprehend any thief but he did not know how he would deal with a whole gang. The singular footsteps that were ascending the stairs were light and quiet as if the owner wore no shoes. He stood up quietly and locked his eyes on the staircase as he saw the shadow that preceded a small body covered with a large trench coat.

At a first glance at the figure, in broad daylight one would perceive it to be a small boy, but if you looked closer, you would see that this is our young Eponine, at the end of her trip from Rue Plumet.

Of course, at this point, Enjolras could not recognise her. As we know it was dark and even in the day time he would have a hard time putting a name to the gamine's face. After all, he had never spoken to her directly but he had seen her once or twice listening in on his speeches and he had seen Pontmercy conversing with her in the corner. Like earlier this very night, as we know.

"What are you doing here, boy?" Enjolras said bringing himself to his full height, which I must say, was both majestic and menacing.

"Oh! I did not think that anyone would be here. I just assumed that owner had forgotten to lock the door. I am sorry, I will go now." Eponine did not bother to correct him on her gender.

Even though her voice was rough, Enjolras could tell it evidently came from a woman. "Pardon me mademoiselle, I mistook you in the dark."

"It is no matter, monsieur. Bon nuit." She turned to make her exist down the stairs.

"Wait!" he called and she stopped before she reached the first step, praying he had not recognised her. Of course she knew who _he _was. She had often seen him in the cafe. Once or twice he had been speaking to Marius when she arrived. He was the passionate one who had spoken earlier that night.

This being said, she still could not remember his name.

She turned round slowly with her eyes downcast and a nervous expression on her face. "Monsieur?"

"Do I know you?" He squinted in the dark toward the figure in shadow. He could vaguely remember seeing her small frame scurrying around before; he could not place the recognition though.

"I don't know, I'm not often noticed, but I know you..." she said with a small smirk across her face, knowing and waiting. Her smile puzzled, then slowly he began to realise where he had seen the smile before. She was teasing Pontmercy, holding his stolen hat out of his reach. He remembered that Marius had looked genuinely worried that she would run off with it.

"You are the girl who comes to the cafe, the one who follows Pontmercy around!" He didn't ask, he stated.

"Ah...oui I was hoping you would recognise me..."

"Why? What harm would it do if I knew who you were?" His brows furrowed slightly.

"I don't want all the students to know I had nowhere else to go." She said quietly, with a small laugh behind the statement.

Enjolras was taken aback a little and then recovered to say "I am no gossip, mademoiselle."

"Oh, well you can never be too sure..."

Enjolras was sill for a moment than sat down, back to his work and said "You can sit down, warm yourself a little, but I am afraid I will be leaving soon and I must lock up for the owner." He looked up toward to where she was to see she had moved to the fire place.

When he finished speaking she flopped into a chair next to the fire, letting out a relieved sigh.

They sat like this for a long time; he working at his table and her just gazing into the fire with her knees tucked up to her chest.

Finally, he gathered up his papers a turned toward the girl curled up in the chair

"We must leave now? And I was so comfortable." She said.

"Yes, I am sorry mademoiselle, I promised the inn keeper."

"Eponine." She whispered, eyes still trained on the flames. She then stood up and the pair made their way down the stairs and out the front door.

"Au revoir, monsieur Enjolras."

"Au revoir, Eponine." He said.

As she disappeared down an alleyway he realised he had never given her his name.

**I feel like I'm using monsieur and mademoiselle too much so I decided to end this chapter with them beginning to address each other with their first names. I don't enjoy silence so keep me improving. Love, MistressVanTassel.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sup, Guys! Hows we all feeling? Oh! I'm sorry 'bout that! Hope he gets better!**

**So guys...I have a bone to pick wit ya'll! Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter but seriously! I'd love to hear from more of you! So we can share in our weird obsession with this ship together!**

**I own nothing...but there was that one time with the picture of Sam barks and...well that's another story, never mind, anyway (let me know if anyone got the 'into the woods' quote there!)**

**Allons-y!**

"Hey there, monsieur. What's new with you?" She leaned against the frame of his apartment floor. He jumped slightly at the sound of her voice. "Still thinking about that bourgeois girl?"

"'Ponine! Are you alright?" He said jumping off the bed and rushing to her at the door "After I left her house I thought I heard...Oh 'Ponine." He exclaimed, gently placing his hand on her cheek.

She almost fainted from the sudden contact. _Oh my God! He's touching me! Touching my cheek! _She was slightly alarmed when she felt a stinging pain on her face where he was touching and then she remembered. The slap. She must have a bruise from when her father hit her last night. That's what he was doing.

"Eponine how did this happen?" he asked quietly, his thumb softly grazing against the ugly purple mark under her eye. He quickly took his hand back when he saw her wince.

Her eyes sunk down to stare at his newly polished shoes "I walked into a wall. That's all it is Marius." She was usually a much better liar than this but it was always almost impossible to lie to _him_.

"Alright..." Re-catching her gaze he said, "Want to go grab some apples for the cart in the street and take a walk? The apple is on me."

She smiled a little and nodded and they made their way out of the building. He bought them both a fresh green apple and after she had sunk her teeth into the sour and refreshing fruit he asked her "Do you want to o to the cafe? There's no meeting today but I need to fill mes amis in on what happened last night."

She quietly consented, but was not sure if her encounter with the leader last night would make it slightly awkward, but when they reached the cafe she was a little relieved to find he was absent.

They boys greeted Marius and asked after the young lady by his side.

"Oh, this is Eponine everyone, a good friend of mine." A smile grew on her face after his description. If she could not be his lover, she sure as hell wanted to be his friend.

"'Ponine, this is Combeferre, Joly, Jehan," they each gave her a small nod as Marius pointed to them in turn "and you probably already know Grantaire." She did. He had tried on many times to charm her into his bed on some of her nights in the cafe corner. She wasn't scared of him as she knew it was in jest and he was completely harmless, but his constant inebriated state repulsed her slightly. Right now he gave her a sleazy smile and raised his bottle in greeting. It seemed he was already drunk at eleven in the morning.

They all took their seats as Marius reiterated the story of last night's events to his friends. Eponine was growing increasingly distressed at Marius's words and even though she tried to mask it, all the other men could tell she was uncomfortable.

"So without Eponine here," Marius concluded, putting an arm around her bony shoulders "I would have never found my one true love! I am forever in your debt, 'Ponine."

She was focusing on his touch and trying to ignore the tears threatening to spill. The boys looked at her warily and Marius was still oblivious.

"Would you like a drink 'Ponine? I'll grab you some ale." He retracted his arm and made his way toward the bar.

"As it seems, mademoiselle, you are infatuated with young Pontmercy, no?" Jehan said.

"No! Of course not! He's just a friend..." Eponine said trailing off at the end of her sentence.

The boys looked at her, unconvinced.

"Is it really that obvious?" She asked searching the faces of the men before her.

"Of course! Obvious to everyone but him!" Joly exclaimed exasperatedly

"He's completely blind not to see it." Combeferre said.

Eponine nodded slightly.

"What I don't understand is," Grantaire slurred, "is why you introduced him to this "Blonde Angel" when you knew it would shred any chance you had with him?"

"Because he asked me to. I want him to be happy." She whispered. The men looked at her with pity. Marius then returned with the drinks. Eponine gratefully accepted, gulping it down.

"This girl could compete with your drinking ability, Grantaire!" laughed Joly.

"Never! I am the King of drinking!" said Grantaire, loftily. Even Eponine cracked a smile.

...

It was one of the good days. There was pain, of course, there always was, but there was also laughter and that's rare in her little life. They liked her and that made her feel special. Being seen was special, and they saw her.

Yes, it was one of the good days.

**I wanted this chapter to be Enjolras free. I wanted her to be woven in with the Barricade Boys. Sorry if you missed him but he'll be back next chapter. Thank you for all your support.**

**Don't stay silent. MistressVantassel. x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey...this is a new chapter...I don't own anything...please speak to me...here we go. **

**Oh yeah, and Sam barks voted the most stunning person on the red carpet...asfjiuhwerfgvblyeg...**

She sat on a street bench, gazing into the river in front of her, not really seeing it at all. In her mind's eye she was gazing into the steely gray eyes of Monsieur Marius. Inside her head he was smiling at her, his lopsided way of course. In this scenario he sat beside her on the bench, laughing at something she said instead of turning away. She had his undivided attention. That was all she craved, for him to see her, to be seen.

She snapped out of her hazy daydream as her view of the river was obstructed by the figure of a tall man leaning against the stone side of the bridge. Her brows furrowed in frustration. This was her favourite spot.

She focused on the man. He turned his head and she could view one side of his face. She recognised his statuesque profile as that of the revolutionary leader she had encountered last week. She reminisced on this even, wincing slightly at her embarrassment and recalling the triumphant moment when she could remember his name. Enjolras.

He spun around to face the direction of where his name was called. She hadn't realised she had said it out loud. She felt her cheeks redden as she quickly looked down. He squinted at her face, then he eyes widened in recognition.

"Mademoiselle Eponine?" he asked, hesitantly approaching her.

"We meet again, monsieur." She brought her gaze to meet his smiling. "I hope I didn't disturb you too much, I had nowhere else to go."

He shifted awkwardly on the spot "Oh...um...of course not, mademoiselle."

"I thought I told you it was Eponine." She said quietly.

"I...um...may I join you?" he said gesturing toward the space next to her on the bench.

"Of course." She liked the way he talked to her, it was respectful. Almost as if she was his equal.

They sat in silence which she quite enjoyed, it was nice to have company whilst she thought, but for him it was becoming awkward as he was used to always be in conversation when there was another present. He was only a quiet man in his solitude.

He finally broke the silence that he could no longer stand. "I've seen you at many of our meetings in the cafe before, you must have formed opinion on our plans, I would like to hear it if you don't mind sharing."

This was strange, she thought, he was inviting her to express her opinion to him. She was not often afforded this luxury by the people around her. She was nervous that he would scoff at it like many others had.

"Well you are a very good speaker monsieur and your words are very inspiring. They of course appeal to a girl like me..."

"But..." he asked, looking at her expectantly.

She brought her gaze downward and said "...but it all seems a little farfetched, don't you think?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Farfetched?"

"Well, all this talk of 'tomorrow' and 'a world about to dawn'. Do you really think once you've won the battle everything will just work itself out into a new, free country? Because I will tell you this now, it won't." She said

"I do not expect it to happen overnight. I am willing to work all my life for it."

"I am sure you are, and I'm sure you will, but I mean that how much are you expecting our world to change? Everyone will be equal and there will be no oppressed? There is always the oppressed, monsieur. There will always be someone poorer than the next. There will always be abused wives, neglected children, bullying bosses, thieves and wicked men. These things will never change. Just because there will be a slightly smaller gap between the rich and the poor, that does not mean we will live is a perfect world."

He was silent for I while. He looked chin deep in thought. She took this time to study his visage. He was handsome yes, with a strong jaw and brows, a soft nose, light blonde hair and creamy skin. Maybe more angelically beautiful than handsome. He was indeed more physically attractive than Marius but she did not see in him what she saw in her.

Marius exuded a warm glow that she could not ignore. He was light in her dark world and she clung to him like a moth clings to the flame.

They had both fallen in love, but much to her dismay, he not with her. Had had been awakened by love. She had been struck in the face by it, hard

She thought about the man sitting beside her. Had he ever known love for a woman? She doubted it strongly. He was devoted to France.

At this point he seemed to have collected his thoughts and turned to look at her.

"I think you're right, mostly, but under the right leadership, the country as a whole will strive to erase the problems. You are a very skilled speaker and you have interesting opinions that you put out well. I would like it if you were to stop by the cafe once in a while so we could discuss these thoughts."

His request looked genuine and having somewhere to be for a while would be nice. It was foreign to her to be wanted somewhere and she appreciated his ability to want to hear different opinions, not just be blind to all but his own.

"I'd like that." She said, smiling at him. He gave her a half smile back and stood up.

"Well I must be heading home. We have a meeting in two days time at the cafe Will I see you there?"

She nodded. He bowed his head slightly and headed off in the direction he came. She sat for a while longer by the water, but this time she was planning her next encounter with Enjolras.

It was Enjolras who had seen her today. Two days in a row, this week was looking up.

**Thanks for reading, see you next time.**

**Don't stay silent, Mistress Vantassel**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sup, Peeps? I'm planning on making my chapters a bit longer as they seem way too small for my liking as I mainly like fanfics with nice long chapters. Let me know what you think.**

**Sadly you are **_**still **_**giving me the silent treatment (well, most of you, loves to **_**iputonefootinfrontoftheother **_** and **_**viralsfan101**_**, you da best!), please, please, PLEASE review! Is it that you can't be bothered or if it is bad you're afraid to tell me? cos I swear I can take it.**

**Allons-y!**

He waited for her Wednesday night. He was delaying his speech in the hope she would turn up and catch the beginning. He wasn't sure why he was relying on her coming so much, he had made many speeches before where she had crept in right at the end and he didn't notice her, but he felt as if it were to happen that night it would bother him a great deal. Maybe it was because he had specifically asked her whether she was going to attend and she said she would. He wanted her to hear his whole speech before he questioned Eponine on her opinion afterwards.

Whatever it was it was causing a few problems for him and the group, you see the longer the men would stay in a fully stocked bar, the drunker they will inevitably get so Enjolras, at the usual meetings, made a point of starting early so his friends would still be able to understand plain French. Also the longer Enjolras took to make his speech, the more bored his friends would get, and the more bored they were, the more they drank.

At this point in time most of his friends were on their second bottle already and Enjolras was anxious to get started.

He sighed and stood up, making his way toward the front of the room. If she couldn't be bothered to respect him and what he asked of her, he souldnt have to care about her opinion as much as he was.

He stood adjacent to the stairs and was opening his mouth to begin on the topic of the night when all heads turned to the top of the stairs and away from him. He looked around and saw bright brown eyes, a dirty cap and flushed cheeks. She did not enjoy a lot of attention and withal eyes currently on her she shrunk under the scrutiny.

Her eyes darted across the faces before until she met his and offered him and small, sheepish smile in the way of a silent apology. He offered nothing back but a small nod of acceptance before clearing his throat to regain the attention of his audience. She interpreted this as her queue to scurry to her seat in the corner.

He took a deep breath, one last look at her and began speaking.

...

Later that night Eponine Thénardier could be seen in the company of Enjolras, the two of them occupying the two spots by the fire as many of the men filed out, the others remaining only to finfish their last drink.

The pair was in a heated discussion on that night's topical points.

"No, but you see we would have people sent out to inspect the work forces to make sure that the supervisors were fair and the workers were obeying the rules and-"

"Ah, but would who would you send? Who is trustworthy enough to not be swayed by bribes to write the factory in question a good report?"

"Well we would go there personally and check ourselves."

"But as leaders you will be busy with work of the state and there are many factories in the land, Enjolras."

He had noticed that she had begun to address him by his name. He did not know how to react to this. Could she be counted as his friend? Could he be counted as hers? They had only shared a couple of conversations and they were two completely different people; they came from different worlds, but after all she was way the poor's struggle personified. She knew the cruelty of the streets and it had made her tough as nails. She had firsthand experience in the harsh reality of the poverty the people of France trudged through. She could become a very useful asset in the events to come. An Ally! Yes, she was an ally.

So he in return began to address her in a similar way. She, however had not picked up on her sudden change of position in Enjolras' rank of acquaintances as well as her sudden use of his name so continued to converse with him and argue, which she found she was enjoying.

...

He began to find that it was becoming a regular occurrence for him to delay his speeches until she arrived and he would take time out of his studying after the meeting to sit and listen to her opinions on what he had said earlier that night.

She was not only questioning him on his plans but was also eager to explain to him what he should say in the place of some of his statements that lacked in thorough thought and consideration. She explained how he could word things better that fitted reality more accurately by toning down his image of a perfect tomorrow and exaggerating more on the conditions of France today.

But even she could find no fault in his diction or his vocabulary. He was incredibly well educated, speaking both English and Latin fluently as well as knowing every single word known to his mother tongue. Sometimes she would have to shyly ask what some of what he said meant. She wasn't incompetent, not at all, rather her repertoire of words did not stretch as far as his did.

This always caused much embarrassment on her part during these lengthy conversations, but he was always patient and explained to her the meaning in detail so she could apply correctly in context later.

He would always leave the cafe with renewed perspectives and fervour on his passion. He would spend hours thinking back on what she had said and what he could take from it. He found that he anticipated their next meeting if he had concocted some rebuttal or continuation of one of her points.

She would leave the cafe slightly more educated and a lot more satisfied after letting out what she wanted and say and she was able to dump of all of this on him and he would eat it up.

Regularity in girl like her was unfamiliar but she found her commutation with Enjolras completely natural. Likewise, he was not used to spending much time with women, but she was certainly unlike most airhead bourgeois girls that simper and smile and back out of any conversation that involves expressing controversial opinions.

This is how the strange relationship was able to be sustained between the two. No one looking up at the other, no one looking down. Eye to eye.

**Sorry this chapter turned out to be bit of a filler but don't worry, the next will be full of vulnerability which I know you all love! **

**Don't stay silent! Mistress VanTassel x**


	8. Chapter 8

**So...hey!**

**How have you guys been? Sexy, I hope. I have too. I had to plan this chapter loads and think it over in my head and I wasn't really able to let it flow so it may be shorter than previous chapter but I won't go off on too many tangents this time.**

**Loving your love. Speak up my friends!**

Eponine found herself without anything to do on that Thursday but wander around her territory on the streets. There was no meeting at the cafe that night and as far as she knew her father didn'twant her help on another job for a while after the last incident at Rue Plumet.

She found herself being only occupied by her thoughts. She thought about the meetings at the cafe and the Students. She thought about how nice it was to have something to look forward to that was engaging and honest and distracted her from her usual dreary life. She thought about how polite the boys (as they seemed too young to be called men in her opinion) seemed to be, yet she found herself wondering about what they really thought of her, probably just a street walker without anywhere else to go but the cafe on their meeting nights.

Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't actually a street walker. It wasn't as if she hadn't done things of that sort in her past but it wasn't anything like her full time profession that most people believed it to be. What else was a pretty young street girl as herself to do? But she got by without having to resort to that line of work.

Could that really be all they thought of her? She knew Marius didn't as he had spent enough time with her to see that she would fend off any advances cast in her direction, but what about the others? She didn't what them to think of her as that as she was hoping o earn their respect as she felt as if she would be spending more time around them. How could they respect her ideas when they couldn't respect her because of her apparent line of work?

She thought maybe Enjolras respected her, perhaps? He had always been very polite and not interrupted her while they spoke and he seemed to hold her opinion in high respect. Did he think she walked the streets for money? She doubted it. He seemed to be able to see past what she was willing to show. I must be odd, she thought, to be able to know someone without having to ask.

She was too deep in thought to notice the shadow until she felt its presence right behind her. She turned to see a faceless brute before she was shoved against the bricks behind her.

"You've been bad 'Ponine." It was the voice of a member of the Patron Minette, her father's gang but she could not remember which name matched the voice. Babet? Claquesous? Gueulemer? She couldn't focus on her thoughts as she felt a sharp pain in her left side. She looked down and saw the glint of a small knife pressed into her hip.

"Let go of me! What do you want?" she tried to struggle away from him but he just tightened his hold and threatened her with a twist if his knife against her abdomen. She winced.

"Your father's not happy with you 'Ponine. That stunt you pulled at Rue Plumet could have cost us all our heads. Maybe it's your conscience kicking in." He laughed and shook his head "Idiot child. We've got to put you back in line. I've been sent to give you the one warning you'll get. One more toe out of line and we'll get you. We'll find you and when we do you'll wish you were never born."

"'Already do, coming from filth like him, dealing with dirt like you!" She spat in his face.

He slammed her against the wall again, hard. She cried out in pain and he grinned.

"Like I said, just a warning, but the final one. Betray us again, and you'll find it's your sentimental heart we'll cut out." He took his knife from her hip, traced it over her chest before making a deep gash right over her heart.

He released her and she fell to the ground in a heap of torn fabric, blood and tears. He took a step back and dissolved into the shadows of the street.

She took her head out of her hands and she searched the street for any sign of him lingering. Sighing in relief through her tears, she used the wall to lift herself up and struggled onto the moonlit pavement. She looked down to inspect her wound. It was deep and bleeding heavily. She ripped of a piece of fabric from her tattered skirt to staunch the flow of blood and began to trudge toward the river to get something to clear away the blood.

The streets were oddly quiet and not a soul was there to see the tear streaked face of the shaking girl in the moonlight.

As she arrived at the bridge she saw in the distance a man sitting on her usual bench gazing into the river as she had been doing only days ago. The man had blonde curls and a red jacket.

He was here again like the other day. Although she didn't want him to see her this vulnerable she knew she needed help and she was finding the pain too much to handle and she was too unstable to be able to find aid herself.

"Monsieur Enjolras" she called to him hoarsely.

He was deep in thought and he jumped a little at her voice. His head snapped around to see her.

"Mademoiselle Eponine! What are you doing here?" he got up and bean moving slowly toward her. She took a small step back. He caught sight of the red liquid seeping out from between her fingers and his eyes bulged slightly. "What happened?" he said quietly into the silent street.

She removed her hand and the cloth to show him her wound which by now had become swollen and red to match the clotting blood smeared around the gash. Enjolras swallowed quietly in revulsion

"Please monsieur, I need help."

**I've noticed that any time something like this happens to Eponine its always Montparnasse and its getting repetitive so I thought I'd mix things up a bit! I hope you don't mind!**

**To my fellow writers out there, I'm new as you can tell and I would be so grateful if someone would explain how to do those separating lines in the middle of a chapter. Please? I feel like an imbecile!**

**Don't stay silent**

**Lots of love, Mistress VanTassel x**


	9. Chapter 9

His stomach churned as he stared at the fresh wound on her chest. He prized himself on his ability to deal with the wounded calmly and efficiently, but seeing the girl before him, helpless and weak he felt as if all he could do was stare in fear. He took a few steps towards her until he stood in front of her shuddering body.

He heard his name come from her lips and her eyes roll back in her head before he reached out to catch her as her knees buckled and she fainted dead away in his arms. He scooped her up and called her name softly before decided it was the blood loss that had rid her of consciousness.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where the nearest doctor's was and the only doctor he knew of in Paris was too far away to make it with Eponine in the state she was. He had no idea where her family lived so he couldn't take her back to give her to their care. He believed his best option of medical help was Joly but he was afraid Joly would cringe at the bacteria that clung to Eponine being spread about his home. It's not as if he would turn them away, he was too nice for that but he would certainly be terrified of the dirt that clung to her. Enjolras decided that she would have to rest in his apartment and he would have to rush and get Joly to treat her.

He straightened up. She was feather light. It was terrifying.

He moved as fast as he could without damaging the fragile body he held. In his panicked state he took a wrong turn and had to take the long way back to his home. The longer it took the more exasperated he became with himself and when he eventually reached the boarding house his apartment was in, because of the unconscious girl in his arms he could not open the door, he cried out in anger.

He had to gently place her down on the ground beside the door so he could open it. She did not stir. He then picked her back up and climbed the stairs to his third flaw apartment. She was then again placed beside the door so he could retrieve his key and open the door. It was only until after he had gently lowered her onto his bed did her eyes flutter open. He saw this and stopped her before she could say anything.

"Shh! It's ok. Don't try and speak. You fainted from the blood loss out of your wound so I took you back to my apartment."

She looked down at her chest and whimpered. "Shh...I've got to go get help. You've got to stay here and try to rest. You've lost a lot of blood. I'll only be ten minutes, I promise." She looked at him, nodded and promptly fainted again of exhaustion. He watched her for a moment with a pained expression on his face before setting off at a run for Joly's home.

...

When he arrived he loudly banged on the door to wake his sleepy friend. He waited and the door opened to reveal a tired Joly in his night clothes with a confused look on his face.

"My God Enjolras, what the hell are you doing here at this time of night?"

"Get your clothes on and come with me. It's Eponine, she's hurt. She's resting at my place."

Joly's eyes widened and Enjolras groaned in annoyance, "Hurry!" Joly nodded and rushed back into his apartment, re-emerging two minutes later fully dressed with his medical equipment in his hands. "Let's go" he shut the door behind him.

They set off at a run back to Enjolras' apartment. A thousand questions were whirling around Joly's head that he would think tactless to voice in their current situation; what had happened to Eponine? Why was she wondering around the streets in the middle of the night? How had Enjolras found her?

They arrived back in Enjolras' apartment to find her exactly how he had left her, unconscious and unmoved. The horror of the state of the girl caused Joly to inhale sharply. After a moment's hesitation he moved to the bed side and bent down to examine the wound. "It's bad. There is a long cut across her chest and it seems quite deep. She is losing a lot of blood. I need to staunch the flow and bandage the wound. I need water and cloth." Enjolras had to admire his calm demeanour when all it seemed he could do was panic.

After Enjolras had rushed to his kitchen to get the water and had ripped up one of his shirts as he had no other cloth, Joly began to meticulously clean the wound. "If the wound was made with an unclean instrument it has to be sterilised. Bring the brown bottle and bandages from my bag."

"What is that?" Enjolras said after he had passed the items, gesturing at the brown bottle.

"It's an alcoholic ointment that will clear the wound. You may want to step out for a while, Enjolras."

"Why?"

Joly sighed impatiently. "Well for starters I will be having to remove her bodice to get at the cut and I hope that you wish to preserve her modesty by vacating the vicinity, also the application of the ointment will be very painful for her and you may not wish to see her in that state."

"Oh, I understand. Just...call me if you need me, alright?" Joly nodded and turned to Eponine so Enjolras left the room to sit down on his chaise and rest his eyes; he had been up all night and exhaustion was creeping in.

He was settled down to rest went Eponine's screams roused him. Ear splitting screams that conveyed excruciating pain. Enjolras ran to the door to his room but stopped himself before entering. He remembered Joly's words- "the application of the ointment will be very painful for her...". The pain must have been so bad that it roused her from her weak state. Enjolras took two deep breaths before moving back to the chaise as he tried to block out the sounds of agony that came from behind the closed door.

He was sure she had woken his neighbours and was attempting to devise an explanation for the morning. What time was it? Maybe it was morning already and he hadn't slept at all and he doubted he would get any now. He thought that if he went out to buy food and supplies Joly might not have his aid if he needed it in his absence.

He sat down and put his head in his hands. This would be a long day.

**I didn't want to be lazy and skip over the medical bit...so there you are. Reviews are craved.**

**Don't stay silent. Mistress Vantassel **


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, sorry that I've been a bit lazy with writing lately. I have just been so busy. Here is me trying to redeem myself.**

Her screams had stopped, mercifully, soon after they had begun. Joly told Enjolras, after he had emerged from the room in the early hours of the morning, that she had passed out again. Joly told him that he had been able to clean her wound and he had bandaged her chest and she was now asleep and must rest for a while. Enjolras thanked him and told him that he should go home and get some sleep himself and that he would look after her until his next visit.

He couldn't remember how long he had been sitting on the wicker chair beside the bed. It seemed as if he had endless patience as she hadn't moved at all for hours, but he was busy thinking.

**Is she in pain? Is she warm enough? Is she too hot? Is she uncomfortable? Who did this to her? Would she remember what happened to her when she woke up? Would she be traumatised?**_** Would **_**she wake up? **He thought about the classes he was missing to tend to her, and how many he would have to miss if she didn't recover immediately, which he doubted she would. Unless he found a carer. Who would do it? Most of the people he knew in Paris were students. He could ask the woman who ran the boarding house but he less he was involved with her, the better. She was perfectly trustworthy but she was uncivil and rudely outspoken and her daughter was set in her ways to try and tempt Enjolras into her bed. He avoided the pair with dedication.

As he sat there he examined the unconscious girl before him. She looked peaceful in slumber. He followed a trail of light from the window with his eyes, from her prominent, angled collar bone, up the curve of her neck to her soft jaw line. Her cap had been removed and her messy brown hair was fanned out over his pillow. He noticed that her skin was a few shades darker from any other girl he had ever regarded. But they were always middle class women who looked as if they had never seen the sunlight before and he could tell that the gamine in his bed spent most of her life outside, scurrying around the streets of Paris, alone. He found the latter much more appealing to look at.

He turned his head away, ashamed that he was looking at a female that way, let alone an unconscious one. He didn't even know her _could _look at a lady and notice her appearance. **But, **he thought to himself, **since when was she a lady anyway? **He knew she was young, obviously from the youthful sparkle in her eyes, but it seemed up until she was fifteen she was a child and a as soon as she hit sixteen she had the appearance of a woman, which was mostly the case for the impoverished women, old before their time from harsh conditions and lack of hope and happiness. The childhood innocence had gone and they found the reality in their inescapable, lifelong oppression. At seventeen years, this girl had seen more than any bourgeois princess ever would.

He stood up and left the room. He needed to clear his head and he was sure she wouldn't die in his absence. He left her there in the state she had been in for half a day now and went to do some work for his classes in the front room and tried to convince himself that it was ridiculous to be wary for a woman in the next room.

...

One eye opened then the other and she made an attempt at gathering her thoughts. She remembered the streets, a knife and then...pain. She winced and tried to remember what happened after that. Walking, walking with the pain. The sound of water rushing, then blue eyes and strong arms as everything went black. _Enjolras. _But that wasn't it! She had woken earlier and he was there again and he told her not worry, that he would help, and then black again, then pain. That was extremely prominent in her chain of memories.

She looked down at her chest and saw it neatly bandaged in white linen but it had a small red stain at the centre, she tried not to gag. She had a surprisingly strong stomach for a girl her age as she had been forced to deal with all the cuts and scrapes that her siblings had produced, but seeing the blood stain in stark contrast against the white made her insides churn. It seemed just too...clinical.

She tried sitting up let out a loud cry from the harsh jolt of pain she felt through her upper body and slumped back down onto the pillows in defeat.

...

Enjolras heard the cry from the front room and burst into the bedroom, almost tripping over the bed post.

"Eponine! Are you alright?!"

"Enjolras!" she cried

"What happened?"

"Stop yelling, my head is killing me, and just calm the hell down! I sat up and the dirty great gash on my chest hurt a bit! Now will you tell me what happened, why I am here and who bandaged up my chest."

"I'm sorry...I just heard you cry...I thought..." He said, trying to calm down his breathing, surprised at his own devotion to his bedside position.

"I know and thanks for the concern but I want to know why I am topless and bandaged in what I'm guessing is your bed."

He blushed and averted his eyes sheepishly. She had quickly taken control of this situation and he had to admire her brave face and calm through her obvious discomfort

"I...um, I was down by the river and you arrived and you were wounded, you fainted and I took you to my apartment and I left to get Joly, I was only was gone for ten minutes at most on my word, and he was the one who dressed your wound" he gestured toward her chest and she raised an eyebrow at him. He continued "-and he said that he thought it was a knife wound."

She nodded and looked down "I Remember that part now."

"Do you have any idea who did this to you, Eponine?" he caught her eyes with his.

"I do" she swore viciously under her breath. His eyes widened at her crude choice of language.

"May I ask why you find this attack so frustrating?"

"Because it's not an attack, it's a warning."

**Don't stay silent, Mistress Vantassel.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry, sorry, sorry...I've just been SO busy with work lately there just hasn't been time. I know its not good enough. Thank you for being loyal...I'm just...sorry.**

"_**Do you have any idea who did this to you, Eponine?" he caught her eyes with his.**_

"_**I do" she swore viciously under her breath. His eyes widened at her crude choice of language.**_

"_**May I ask why you find this attack so frustrating?"**_

"_**Because it's not an attack, it's a warning."**_

_**...**_

"What's that supposed to mean? A warning, how could this be a warning? There's a dirty great hole in your chest!"

She winced at his harsh tone and choice of words. "What I mean is the people who did this are just giving me a taste of what could be coming my way." She met his wide eyes.

"How are you associated with these people? Who would almost kill you to prove a point?"

She laughed bitterly "You could almost call them my family; I've suffered beside them long enough."

"Your family?! Your own family is threatening you?"

"Well, Monsieur Thenardier and his men."

"Thenardier?! The thief?! You are on terms with him?!"

"Yes...he's my Pa Pa. Hell it's been long since he was called that."

He could say nothing as he sank down onto the chair and covered his face with his hands. Everything was silent for a while. Eponine just watched him in quiet anticipation. Now that he knew would he end their acquaintance? Would he throw her to the street because she was a Thenardier? Damn that name! She would be stuck with the label of thief and baddun for all her life! Would she never manage to shake off the reputation that comes with being in the most hated family in all of France? Well, second most hated to some. This name was the reason Marius did not and would not ever love her. Compared to a street urchin with a bad family name, why wouldn't he choose Cosette and the name and titles that went with her, The Lark was already a princess in his eyes.

She didn't say anything at all; she didn't feel as if she had to. She sat back and waited for him to say what he had to say and then she would get out of there, she already had overstayed her welcome and she no intention of sitting trapped there any longer than was necessary for Enjolras to decide how he was going to process this new information.

He took his head out of his hands and looked straight at her, and then he said something that she was not expecting, "I want to help"

He had been dealing with a war going on inside his head. He knew how dangerous it was to be in his position; not only did he hardly know this girl who was most likely a thief like her father and could pickpocket him at any time but it was even more dangerous to be associated with her because her father was not just an everyday thief. His gang was dangerous and it could mean serious trouble for him if he got in the way of what the man wanted, namely Eponine. But he knew, despite her tough exterior, she would not be able to protect herself against the thugs that were after her. She would be seriously hurt or worse. He barely knew the girl but he did know that if anything happened to her he would feel so guilty for having the chance to protect her and not trying. This was the train of thought that led to him to speak.

She was quiet for a moment in silent surprise before quite adamantly saying, "I do not need your help, monsieur."

"You do. I know that you-"

"No! I don't! Do NOT pretend that you know what I'm going through. There is no way that a man like you could have any idea. Even if you believe you know the people, you do not know this person at all. I can handle it myself, I am not weak."

"I was not suggesting that you were I just wanted to make sure you were safe from-"

"What? My own father? The Patron Minette? Because no one is safe from them. Even if you did try and help me, which I'm not going to let you do, they would find put who you are and come after you. What's the point of two of us on their wanted list? You getting killed isn't going to help me at all."

He was silent again and this time she didn't wait for a reaction she pulled the covers back before she was stopped by a mixture of Enjolras' shout and the extreme pain from the wound she had temporarily forgotten about. She felt a sudden surge of dizziness and Enjolras' arms preventing her from falling to the floor. He steadied her all the while angrily asking her what the hell she thought she was doing and then gently lowered her back down on to the bed. He retracted his arms from beneath her and quickly said "I'm going to get Joly to see if anything has happened to the wound or to you. I would tell you to not move but i don't think you'll be doing any wandering off in your current state" he said with a small wince "I'll be back in ten minutes time, I promise." And without another word from either of them he set off at a fast pace, leaving her angry and her head swimming with pain.


	12. Chapter 12

It was three days after Enjolras had discovered Eponine's heritage and she had tried to leave and she had her painful, dizzy spell and much to her dismay she was still hauled up in Enjolras' bed.

She was not only angry at Enjolras for refusing to let her leave his place until he found her completely recovered but she was frustrated at herself for not fighting harder to escape. It seemed like her inability to actually _get up _was trumping over her stubbornness and pride. She lay or (if she could gather the energy) sat there for days doing nothing. In her mind she was constantly counting down to ten, promising herself when she got to one she would get up out of the bed and slip out of Enjolras' apartment un-noticed. Much to her dismay, this was never the case; she only got herself worked up and ended up tiring herself out and falling into another long nap.

Enjolras was not what you would call a conventional carer; he gave her what she required stoically every day only speaking harsh, cold words of refusal when she asked to be removed from the bed and ordering her to eat or drink or just sit still so she could heal faster. The food he gave her was minimalistic and plain; breads, cheese and simple cuts of meat, but it was the most she had eaten in a while and for that, she was grateful. He was out most of the day, deciding that she did not need twenty four hour care and returned to his studies. He gave her food and drink in the morning before he left and when he got home in the evenings.

It was a very odd companionship. In other cases of an invalid and a carer, the carer would dote upon the wounded and the wounded would be vulnerable and needy whilst he or she recovered from the ailment, but the interactions between Enjolras and Eponine in the case of Eponine's bedridden state were very different. Due to Enjolras' cold, demanding nature and Eponine's constant inner turmoil over her numerous escape plans, things were awkward and tense. Both were in great anticipation for the young girl's recovery.

Things were not much better when Joly came to check up on Eponine's wound. Although he was mainly concentrating too hard on his work to notice her physical state, when he caught site of her protruding ribcage and masculine physique due to malnourishment, he could not contain his wince of disgust and it burned Eponine deeply.

He told her she was improving alarmingly slow but he put it due to her skinny frame and lack of nutrition. Eponine was angry that she was not able to overcome this ailment and she had dealt with cuts and bruises all her life. Joly frowned and told her that this was a very serious wound and the best way to heal was give it time. This is not what Eponine wanted to her.

In short, Eponine had never felt lonelier in all her life.

...

Gavroche hadn't seen his sister in a while. It wasn't unusual to go without seeing her for days but she would always make a point of checking up on him and they would share food, if either had any, and converse on each other's comings and goings around the town. But it had been what he thought was two weeks since he had seen her last and this _was _unusual.

Now Gavroche knew his way around. He knew the city like the back of his hand. He knew where the least attentive shopkeepers worked and what days they were open. He knew which doorways were not for resting and which alleyways were guarded by big dogs that were not to be messed with. He also knew which people you could trust, who gave reliable information and who would just con you. He knew that he could find his sister in a matter of days if he wanted to but would it be worth it? What if he went to all that trouble to locate her and she had just missed a couple of visits because she was busy with one of their father's plots? But then again, if she was he could get his neck in and get some food out of it, he was very small after all and fitting into tight spaces was his speciality. It had to be, squeezing through a tiny hole to get into the belly of a hollow plaster Elephant.

On the 17th day of her absence he decided to do some digging. He asked the right people and found out that she had been seen being carried into the house of one of the students that were plotting against the King. He knew this student and it surprised him that he was giving refuge to a girl like Eponine, with her sceptical view on the revolution. Hell, he was surprised that Enjolras was giving anyone refuge! But since she was wounded and he was curious about her wellbeing, he decided to pay the student and his sister a visit, the unconventional way.

**Sorry, sorry...just...sorry.**


End file.
